Musicians Friend Interview with Avery Watts - Monday, 09 March 2015

Tell me how you incorporate classical sounds into your rock music?
Virtually every track starts like a score of sorts during the writing process. It may begin as stripped down
sounds such as a string piece, a piano part, or a guitar riff and it grows from there. I admire the
orchestra; the fact that every instrument and player has a role, a note, a place and a voice for a specific
reason. I take that same approach with Rock music and how I incorporate classical sounds into it. You
can never discount the power of a solid cello holding out a single note. It can be extremely moving and
add to a composition in ways that traditional Rock instrumentation just cant. I like my songs to take you
on a ride through the arrangement and provide as much grandiosity, energy and power as possible. To
me, nothing has the spatial power of a well-done orchestral piece. For instance, the opening track It
Begins off of my last album The Takeover is a score that acts as a soundscape of sorts and sets the
tone for whats to come. It transitions into the backbone of the following Rock track A Cut Above and
helps to carry the theme throughout the entire album. Although I approached It Begins as more of an
intro, the score ended up being able to stand on its own and is frequently requested by music supervisors
for usage in both film trailers and mainstream television.
[See the Pirates/Dodgers Major League Baseball trailer featuring It Begins on TBS here:]
The song A Cut Above demonstrates how that same piece of music can be incorporated into something
completely different and generate an entirely new energy; a high-velocity Rock track in this case.
Although It Begins by itself is a slow haunting sort of composition, when sped up and used as the
underlying work in a Rock context, it takes on a more powerful anthem-like quality.
[See A Cut Above in a TNT LeBron James/Kevin Durant NBA Promo Trailer here:]
In the live show, we may have up to a dozen stationary string players on platforms with the two lead
performers, Corinne Olsen (Viola/Violin) and Rick Brandt (Cello) playing electric instruments on stage.
Corinne and Rick actually run all around the stage wirelessly head-banging, singing, and stealing the
show for the orchestral realm. While they provide the Rock performance aspect of the show, the other
string players (usually up on risers) fill out the sound by performing the bulk of the string music; Its a
great combination showmanship and Classical-meets-Rock energy.
When touring, we offer local high school kids a chance to learn the sheet music and come out on stage to
be part of the sting ensemble. Its always a fun experience for them to get exposed to Classical
instruments in a live Rock concert setting. Its also a nice way to get kids involved in the creative process
and open new doors for them. DAddario Strings, Planet Waves, Pulse Records, and Wood Violins (Mark
Wood of Trans-Siberian Orchestras company) has provided us with resources and gear for the experience.
From a live standpoint, Ive found that the orchestral/Rock hybrid is not only a healthy outlet for kids, but
helps contribute to breaking down the stereotypical boundaries which may exist between different
tribes of musicians. When you combine players from unique backgrounds, different upbringings, and
different struggles; an entirely new energy begins to form. Its ultimately gratifying to see a shy string
player comingling with a rambunctious Punk or Metal guitar player and watch them start to become
otherwise unlikely friends right before your eyes: Thats the true power of music.
[See the Avery Watts live show in action, including string players, in the A Cut Above music video here:]

Musicians Friend Interview with Avery Watts - Monday, 09 March 2015 (continued)

What type of instruments do you use that incorporate these sounds?

I tend to rely heavily on the string section of the orchestra for my main melodies and sonic layers;
primarily violins, violas, and cellos. Ill use a double bass if the strings are by themselves in portions of a
mix, but most times it interferes with the bass guitar and bass drum in a Rock context. Secondly, Ill
implement orchestral percussion as such as timpanis, Taiko drums, concert toms and anything else that
goes boom in the night. At the moment, I only use brass and woodwinds to usually supplement the
power of the string ensembles, but Im expanding the palette of what I use and why I use it on a daily
basis. There are always exceptions to the rule. I may use a Glockenspiel, bells, the harp, or some sort of
solo orchestral instrument in a song, but my primary obsession with the orchestra is the sonic grandiosity
it has the capability of creating. That said, I typically utilize the orchestra as a whole to generate a large
spatial presence that traditional rock instruments just cant do.
How did you start including classical instruments/orchestral sounds in your music?
Ive always enjoyed all styles of music that have creative arrangements of layering in them. Even in the old
70s Soul/Funk/R&B compositions by the greats; youll always hear these excellent combinations of many
instruments, all contributing very simple parts to create a greater whole. I love the usage of so many
different types of sounds to create a more colorful sonic painting. When I began approaching rock music,
it started from a very simple place; the place where most guitar/bass/drums/vocals arrangements start.
From there I began experimenting with what else could be used to make the sound larger than life. I like
using keyboards, sounds effects and other technological means for creating sonic depth, but nothing is
ever as massive as the modern orchestra. Listen to any great film score or watch any live orchestral
performance and youll feel an energy that has remained profound for centuries. I knew that I wanted to
blend the raw energy and sheer force of Rock music with the ageless power of the orchestra. The first
composition I did was It Begins. From there, I realized there were endless possibilities when you have so
many instrumental selections to choose from. Once youre presented a palette of a million colors, its
tough to go back to only having five or six.
How do you capture the sound? Do you record live performances, create it digitally, etc.?
Its typically a mixture of both when resources and time allows. Ive found that the different timbres and
tonalities of both live instruments and sampled ones tend to complement each other. The basis of any
given recording I do tends to be acoustic strings (micd up and recorded) as the lead/stand-out tones
mixed with sampled strings, pads, or other atmospheric tones as sweeteners to fill out the sound. The
blend of the two always seems be the most powerful, as they never quite occupy the same EQ space and
tend to nicely augment one another. There are so many amazing samples out there by companies like
Native Instruments, Spitfire Audio, Propellerhead, 8Dio, and Cinesamples that sometimes its difficult to tell
the sampled instruments and live instruments apart. Ive had instances where a sample of something
actually sounds more organic and real than the one I recorded live and in the flesh. My approach has been
ultimately that it should boil down to what gets you the sound you want. I like both sides of the spectrum.
Purists are constantly debating about the fundamental principles of using fake instruments and how the
real thing always sounds better. Oddly enough, all the newest sampling technologies employ true
performances, by real instruments, with real performers, in real studios, with the real top of the line gear;
meticulously captured in the same way one would record something for a traditional recording. Does it
matter if you tracked the violin yourself or another engineer did it in a studio half-way across the world?
That question is up to each individual to decide. In the end, the ultimate authority has been, and should
always be your ear. If it sounds great to you, use it and dont give it a second thought.